


Unexpected.

by LuaB



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Soft Bucky, and alpine, but likes the food, just cute stuff i promise, reader is not a big fan of Christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:54:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21943954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuaB/pseuds/LuaB
Summary: You decide to cook a last-minute Christmas dinner for yourself when something unexpected happens on your way back home.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Reader, James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 54





	Unexpected.

**Author's Note:**

> It’s been so long since I wrote any Bucky x Reader stories, so I hope you enjoy it! As usual, English is not my first language so be kind with the grammar mistakes. I would also love to know your thoughts on it!
> 
> And Merry Christmas!

Snow covers the streets of Shelbyville as you try hard not to slip and fall. 

Christmas isn't your favorite holiday, but seeing your neighbors decorating their homes, baking cookies and buying Christmas presents was making your heartache. 

After the death of your parents and a terrible fight with your only aunt, you decided to start over away from everything you used to know. You were a single child and nothing was holding you back anymore. And what better place to start over than Shelbyville, Indiana? 

The town was like any other small town in the country, but something about the place and the people made you want to stay and, five months later, you still don’t regret your decision. 

The only decision you’re regretting at the moment is leaving your house in one of the coldest days of the year for a last-minute Christmas dinner shopping for yourself. 

The supermarket was so crowded and people were so rude that you considered if hell would be like that when you died. But, hey, at least you got everything you need for a nice Christmas dinner for one! You knew that there was too much food for just one person and that it would last you at least until the New Year's Eve, but looking on the bright side, you wouldn’t have to go back to that place for a while.

And you bought some of the things that you loved and that reminded you of Christmas with your parents: chocolate, supplies to bake one of your mother’s favorite pies, a small turkey that would last you for a week, wine and even some cans of cat food for the white cat that liked to visit you sometimes. 

You had no idea who she belongs to or where she lived, you just knew it was a female. One day, a few weeks after you moved in she was just sitting there on your couch, staring at you with curious, bright eyes. Her white fur was clean and she looked well-fed, so you assumed she had an owner, but she liked to visit you and slowly, you started to like her and wait for her visits. 

And that was the funny thing about the cat - you’ve decided to call her Mimi - she was only visiting you and would appear at the most random times. She would usually show up at night, mostly the cold nights, and sleep a bit with you. By the time you wake up, she would be gone.

You wonder if she would show up tonight to expend Christmas Eve with you as you slowly walk back home, trying hard not to fall as you step onto the sidewalk when you see him. 

His once black clothes are white from the snow, so you assume he must have fallen and you have no idea how he’s not freezing to death with the weather. His hair is also covered in snow and he’s making exasperated sings for something on the roof. 

Bucky Barnes.

Everyone knew who he was, of course. Former Captain America sidekick and war hero, former Winter Soldier, former Avenger. He lived in his childhood home now, right across the street from you and mostly kept to himself. 

You had heard rumors when you moved in, about him being your new neighbor, but had no idea what to expect. Maybe daily fights with bad guys? Random former Avengers stopping by? Was he friends with Thor? But none of that ever happened and your curiosity started to peak. 

“Hey”, you call, surprising yourself, “Is everything okay?”

Bucky looks around at you, surprised. 

“Oh… Hey”, he says slowly and looks back at the roof, “It’s nothing… Just Alpine playing a little Christmas game”. 

He points to a white thing on the roof and you gasp. 

“Mimi?! What the hell is she doing up there?”

“Mimi?”, Bucky repeats with a surprised tone.

“Yeah…” you feel yourself getting flustered with the way he looks at you, “she, hm, she visits me sometimes…”

“So that’s where you’re going?” Bucky asks the cat, now sitting at the roof, watching the conversation between the two of you with interest. 

“I didn’t know she was yours”, you explain with a shrug. “She comes by sometimes and sleeps in my bed”.

Bucky laughs and your heart beats a little faster. 

“I’m sorry, she disappears sometimes but I never really wondered where she could be”. 

“It’s okay! I adore her, she’s adorable!”

There’s an awkward silence and you look at Mimi - Alpine - sitting on the roof. How is she not freezing too?

“How did she end up there?”, you ask not wanting the conversation to end. 

Bucky sighs. 

“I have no idea. I heard her meowing and tried to get her back down, but she just keeps going up and looking at me with that judgmental look of hers”.

You smile. 

“Ah, the judgmental look. She usually gives me that look when I leave my bedroom window closed”. 

“Yeah, sounds like Alpine”, he laughs. 

You stare at each other, then at Alpine again. The cat meows and moves swiftly a little higher.

Slowly, you cross the street and approaches Bucky. He gives you a curious look. 

“I’m guessing you tried to climb up there and bring her back?”

“Yeah…”, he indicates his snow-covered clothes, “but, obviously it didn’t work”. 

“Okay… Maybe she’ll come down if I ask?” you question and turn in the direction of the house, moving your hands and calling Alpine. 

You’re completely aware of Bucky looking at you as you make weird gestures and cat noises to try and bring the cat down, but don’t stop. Alpine lays in the snow-covered rooftop and stares at the both of you. 

“I think she’s enjoying our humiliation”, you sigh.

“Guess she was bored and wanted to play with us a little”, Bucky replied and when you look at him, he quickly looks back at his cat. 

“Okay… I have a stupid idea, but maybe it will work?” you shrug and walk back to the shopping bags on the sidewalk across the street.

Bucky watches with brows furrowed as you look around and pick a can of cat food.

“I don’t think she’s hungry…” he starts as you walk back.

“Hey! Alpine!” you exclaim and raises the can of food around in the air. 

The cats raise her head and meow with curiosity. 

“C'mon Alpine, stop playing games with our hearts and come down”, you continue to move the can around and the cat walks down the roof, and jumps back to the ground. 

Bucky laughs incredulously and you smile, watching as the cat walks around his legs and stops in front of you, as if waiting for you to give her the food. 

“Do you have any cats?”, Bucky asks, picking up Alpine and holding her in his arms. 

“Nope”, you reply shily, “bought this for her. Christmas dinner”. 

“Thank you. That’s really kind of you”. 

Alpine moves around in his arms and jumps on your shoulder, making you both laugh. 

“Would you like to share her custody for the holiday?”, Bucky suggests as his bright blue eyes look from you to his cat, trying to lay on your shoulder like you were the best of friends.

“Um… I mean” you mumble, scratching the cat’s head, “if it doesn’t bother you…”

“I think Alpine already made her choice”, his voice is light and the shadows of a smile played around his lips. 

“That’s very nice of you, thank you”.

You both fall into a comfortable silence as you play with the cat on your shoulders.

“And, what about you? Do you have any plans for Christmas?” you ask, remembering the ridiculous amount of food you bought an hour ago. 

“No… I don’t really like Christmas anymore. To be honest, I was planning to stay in, eat pizza and watch horror movies to avoid the general mood”.

You laugh, surprised.

“Been there, done that. I’m not a big fan of Christmas either. I was planning on binge-watching Lucifer to avoid the mood too”.

“Sounds like a good plan”.

“Yeah… But Christmas food is my favorite, so I decided to cook dinner last minute”, you stared at him, feeling yourself getting warm with the way he’s looking at you. “Would you like to come over?”

The way his cheeks turn pink with the invitation makes your heart beat faster. 

“I can’t… I don’t mean to intrude!”

“You’re not intruding at all! I bought so much food that will probably last until the New Year, so there’s more than enough for both of us”, you give him a small smile, “Besides the holidays can be depressing enough without some good food or company and…”, you shrug, “Nobody should be alone for Christmas”. 

You stared at each other as you wait for his reply. You can almost see the engines in his brain, considering the invitation. 

As if on cue, Alpine jumps from your shoulder, crosses the street and sits next to your shopping bags making you both laugh.

“You are unbelievable”, Bucky sighs at the cat.

“So… Would you like to come in?”, you ask and Bucky smiles. You really love the way he smiles.

“Yeah, sure doll. Thank you”.

You cross the street together, careful not to slip on the ice and he picks up your shopping bags. Alpine follows and is the first to walk in when you open the door, so familiarized with your home that it’s almost like her own.

You watch as she jumps on the couch and lay down in one of your pillows, hoping that maybe, Bucky will feel just as comfortable with you too.


End file.
